Next world
by Nevlaithiel
Summary: A story of the heir to the vampire world after victor, marcus and Amelia is dead. About what happened when the humans discovered vampires and werewolfs, and about him finding love, a very peculiar place. Adult content!
1. Chapter 1

Who was she? Never in his long life had he seen a girl like this. She seemed to glow, with an inner light, illuminating everything around her. Her presence filled him with a warmth he hadn't felt in many years. His hands hesitated, holding her hard by her wrists. Around them, her friends lay dead and wounded on the floor, blood spilt everywhere, except the three that he had spared. Only bitten to change them. Two young women and one man, all of them with a certain malicious look to them, that he liked.

This girl was crying silently, her big eyes staring at him with fear and sorrow. But she was not in a panic, she was calm. Afraid and sad, but resigned to her fate. Her hair was messed, tattered from the blood spray from her friends, but somehow it remained glowing with the golden light she possessed. She was beautiful even with the blood and torn clothes, the blue mark on her cheek appearing where he had hit her first. Behind him he could hear the others eating, sneering at each other. The young ones in this house had never heard them coming, and most of them didn't even realize what was happening before they were dead.

He let go of her wrists, taking her gently by the hands instead. She was so fragile, like a tiny golden goddess, and he felt compelled to treat her so. He led her up onto her feet, and she got a look of confusion in her eyes. But she got to her feet, even though her one foot seemed broken, and she didn't even whimper. He touched her hair carefully, assessing her. She was truly the most perfect thing he had ever beheld. Everything about her fulfilled what he deemed beautiful, her long golden hair and her big blue eyes, surrounded by black long lashes. Her lips were full and her cheek bones were high up and clear, making her face elegant. She was long-limbed and slender, except for her curving hips and full breasts. She was wearing nothing but panties and a tank top, had probably been on her way to bed when they came. Had she been going alone? Or was one of the dead her lover?

"Be not afraid little goddess, I will not harm you." He said, and grazed her cheekbone with his fingertips. She looked at him full of surprise, but then she shook her head slightly and looked him straight in the eyes,

"You already did…" she answered, and then her eyes flickered around the room to her dead friends. Her voice rang clear in his head, sounding like an angel's voice. He felt a strange sting of a feeling he didn't recognize, some sort of regret. Was it guilt? Did he feel guilty for killing her friends? No, absolutely not. But he did feel sorry that he had hurt her, in any way.

"Forgive me… now come!" he said, and lifted her of her feet, cradling her in his arms. He moved through the glass doors to the garden, putting her down on a sunbed. "You must stay here!" he said. She did not say anything; she just curled up wrapping her arms around her legs, and looked up at him with a sad look.

He went back to the house, and found the others gathered in the middle of the big living room. The three bitten ones were on the floor, almost passed out, but still aware of the ones surrounding them. Ethaya looked at him with a glare,

"What is your purpose with the girl?" she asked, "will you save her for later? She is very appetizing…"

"No! She is under my protection! No one will touch her." He said, and then looked around at the flock. They all bowed their heads, answering; yes sire. The only one among them who could question him was Ethaya, but she didn't say anything. She had long been used to his occasional diversions, she figured he would keep the girl for a while, and then dispose of her himself when he tired of her. He was her brother and she knew him well. Zephran had never kept his toys for long.

"Let us leave this place, I grow tired of this game." She said, and turned to walk away. The rest of them picked up the bitten ones, and followed her out of the house. He went back to the garden, and found her where he'd left her, still curled up on the sun chair. She was not crying anymore, just staring into the air with her big sad eyes. He picked her up again, and her body stiffened, but she didn't resist. He wondered if she knew she was safe, or if she had just decided that if was pointless to struggle?

"I will name you Avelina, and you will be under my protection." He told her. Her new name meant desired, and she was, to him. He brought her out to the front of the house where the others were waiting. They had all the bitten ones in a big car by themselves, with only a driver and a single guard. They would not be a hazard before the next night. The others had gone into their cars, and the only one still standing was Ethaya, holding a door open for him and the girl. He got in, and placed her next to him in the car. She was trembling, and he got a cape out to wrap her in. It didn't work, and he figured she was still afraid.

They left the house behind. The human police would think the massacre was done by the ones missing, but they would never be found. They always got their new candidates from far away, so that no one would suspect. They drove to the landing strip nearby, where the private jet was waiting. It would be a long flight; he would have plenty of time to assure her of her safety.

As the plane lifted from the ground, he let her slip into an exhausted sleep. He would talk to her later. Ethaya sat across from them, eyeing him.

"She is pretty…" she observed. He nodded absentmindedly, not paying attention to her. "How long will she last you think? You always liked to play a bit rough…" she said with a smile. His head snapped up,

"Do not talk about her like a toy, she is not! She is different." He exclaimed. Ethaya send him a surprised look,

"Oh is she? Different how? Like the brunette last year, or the blond girl from the past month? They were different to!" she teased him.

"No… they were still just amusement, they were special because they were good amusement. She," he looked down at her, "is special, because she is more than amusement." He said.

"Forgive me brother, but I will believe it when I see it." She answered, growing tired of his serious mood.


	2. Chapter 2

Some hours into the flight, she woke up. At first she didn't remember where she was, but then it all came back to her in a nightmarish vision. They had just gotten ready to go to bed, and Christian had wanted to talk to her alone. They had left the others hand in hand, and she was sure this was it, they would be together.

But then it had happened. The door in front of her had swung open, knocking her to the floor, breaking her ankle for sure. Something had swooped in, and the screaming had started. She had crawled across the floor to where Laura lay, still alive, but severely wounded. She reached for her hand, but something knocked her away, hitting her cheek hard like a hammer. She heard Laura scream again, and then stop abruptly. Shortly after he was coming for her, she held up her hands to guard herself, and he grabbed her wrists so hard she thought they would snap. But then he had stopped, and looked at her strangely.

She was put out into the cold air, to sit and wait, and he came back to get her later. He was so cold, so hard, she felt like she was being carried by a rock. But he had been gentle with her for some reason, even though he had killed so many others. Eventually putting her on this plane!

She looked around discreetly; next to her he sat reading in a book. He looked so human! But how could he be? He had murdered and almost eaten her friends. Eaten! What kind of monster was he?

Across from them sat a woman, she was beautiful! The woman was looking across the aisle, talking calmly to someone ells. She tried not to move, but her cheek was hurting so much, her head felt like it was being pounded by a hammer. Her ankle felt the same!

His head snapped down looking at her, she held her breath.

"Do you want water?" he asked. She nodded a little, and closed her eyes because of the pain she felt from the movement. He snapped his fingers in the air, and right away someone brought a glass of water to them. He helped her upright, and she drank a little. He looked at her with a concerned expression, and then he dug into a pocket and took out some painkillers. She took them, almost grateful, but very aware that she was getting medicine from a killer.

"Do not fear me… I am Zephran." He said. He reached down and lifted up the leg with her broken ankle, and put the leg across his lap. Then he put his cold hands around her ankle, and she sighed as the pain was slightly eased. It was very odd, sitting here with her leg up, being taken care of.

"What are you?" she asked, her voice almost failing her. He smiled a little, leaning back into his seat,

"Part of the ancient world, where monsters are real… Do you find me a monster?" he asked.

"Yes… no… maybe." She replied, and hid her face in her hands. She did not know!

"You are right!" he said, smiling again. "I am when I want to be! But with you, I will not be!"

The painkillers started to take effect, and she could think and see a little clearer. He seemed young, like her, but somehow also very old. His face was handsome, very pale and very masculine. He had black hair, and green eyes she thought, not entirely sure, because they were also quite dark.

The plane was not so big; it had to be one of those private ones. The seats were arranged in fours, like a train, and they were big and lounge like. The woman across from them looked a lot like him, perhaps they were family? The others in the seats across from them were also all very beautiful and pale, and they spoke a language she had never heard before.

"Where are you taking me?" she asked. He turned his head to look at her right on,

"To my home, my beauty, where I will give you a wonderful life in luxury!" he replied, and caressed her foot gently.

"Why?" was all she could think of saying. Why would he take her? And why was he so different towards her than how he had been to every one of her friends? Would he not just kill her later? Or was all of this nice behavior just to trick her?

"I do not know… but I believe that you belong to me, in some way." He said, looking more serious.

She didn't answer, what was she to say? So he believed that she was his, and he was taking her with him. She would never see her family again, and her friends were dead. What was she to say? She closed her eyes, and fell back asleep.

He put her down on the bed. She had been asleep for the rest of the flight, barely noticing being carried into the palace, through the many rooms to his private chambers. He covered her with a warm blanket, and made sure her ankle was lifted up onto some pillows. Then he turned off the lights, and left her to sleep. She was tired, and had been through much this night, he thought. He would leave her alone for a little while, so that she could recover a bit of strength.


	3. Chapter 3

He went into the throne room, where he found Ethaya sitting next to the statue of their mother. She was deep in thoughts, surrounded by old books and maps.

"What is this Ethaya?" he asked, and picked up one of the maps. It was a map of Bulgaria, not very detailed. She looked up at him with a very serious and annoyed look,

"I am looking into the history of our mother, I want to find out if there are any relatives still among the humans!" she said, and picked up another book. She held it up in front of her, covering his view of her. He sighed heavily and threw down the map again.

"We already did this, 200 years ago! Why would you disappoint yourself again?" he asked. Long ago they had investigated their mother's family, along with their mother while she was still alive, but had not been able to find any living relatives. If she couldn't find any relatives herself, why would Ethaya think she would be able to?

"It was the single most important thing to mother, there had to be a reason for that! I will find it out!" she answered.

"I see… I would think you would be more interested in addressing the growing dog problems in the surrounding cities. We did agree to the responsibility!" he commented. She looked at him,

"Yes, but the ones that asked us to, are all dead! Like our mother! The dog's leaders, mother, Victor and Marcus. Even Kraven, that betrayer! No one is left to hold us to our deal. And I for one, am not about to go on a suicide mission to rid some completely unimportant towns of the wolfs."

"Then they will spread… We will be overrun…" he found a map of the area, "They are here, here and here. They surround us!" He pointed to the towns around their home, where the werewolf problems were getting bigger. Now that all the leaders of their two races had been killed in such a short time, things were getting out of hand. The next ones in line to try and control the population of wolfs, and the society of the vampires, were in fact him, and his sister.

He sighed and sat down in the big chair at the end of the table, he liked to sit there, to overlook the entire table. Ethaya eyed him,

"well… My glorious and concerned king of the dead… What then will we do about it? Do you have a plan?" she asked. He didn't answer at first, he really had no idea of that. He and his sister had been on the sideline of this war for all their lives, watching as their mother had fought the battle. She knew how to deal with it, and she and her death dealers were amazingly efficient.

"Call for Vassilij!" he exclaimed, he was the leader of the death dealers here, he might have something to say. Ethaya rose, and bowed to him in a mocking manner. She didn't like that she had to give up the hunt for theirs mothers descendants, that much was clear to him. Ethaya walked out of the big hall, hips swaying, and her long black hair rocking along with them. She was a fearsome thing to behold, he had always loved to watch men fall for her, and then watch her crush them. Sometimes mentally, sometimes physically. Their favorite game as youngsters were to dress her up in a lovely dress, journey to the bigger towns, and show her of as the daughter of the kings' brother. All the young men would line up to have a chance with her, and she would those one of them to be her future husband. At night she would then visit him, have her way with him, and leave him, either bled dry or insane. They hadn't done that for a while though, but he did miss the carefree parts of life. Or well, afterlife.

She opened her eyes, and looked straight up into a golden ceiling. It looked ancient, but well kept. She was lying on a huge bed, dark red satin sheets and big soft pillows. Her ankle was up on a big pile of them, wrapped in white bandages. At the moment she felt no pain, and she wondered if she had been drugged while she was sleeping? Her head was clear though, and she raised herself up onto her elbows and looked around the room. It was magnificent! Apart from the bed, the room didn't really contain much. Only a small sofa group and what seemed to be a wardrobe, behind black wooden sliding doors. But it was beautiful, very regal. All the wood in the room, including the bed, was dark. The curtains matched the bed, and the gold in the ceiling was mirrored by embellishments all over the room. She had the feeling that she had fallen right into the 16th century, in a slightly gothic version. Possibly a gothic, horror movie kind of 16th century.

She let herself fall down onto the bed again, and took a deep breath. Not only did she feel completely out of place, but she was terribly scared that this would end in her being eaten by the strange guy. He was mesmerizing, very handsome, scary and completely intimidating.


	4. Chapter 4

She heard the door open and she sat up startled, looking at him as he entered. He approached slowly, reminding her of a tiger on the prowl. He was tense, scanning her every tiny movement and his eyes locked in hers the entire time.

"How do you feel?" he asked, and stopped at the foot of the bed. Even though he was just standing there, he felt like he was an inch from her, she felt herself start to tremble.

"I'm better I think…" she answered.

"Are you hungry?" he then asked, and very carefully sat down on the bed next to her, trying to move so slowly she wouldn't get scared. She had to concentrate to feel if she was, she hadn't even thought about food until he mentioned it. But she was, very!

"Yes" she simply answered. For some reason she was sure he was to, and was about to eat her!

He smiled at her,

"Food will be along any moment… I had to order it, we do not usually have a functional kitchen" it seemed to amuse him. What did he mean? And why was he looking at her with such intensity? He was studying her, like she was the most fascinating thing in the world. She felt very self-aware, and felt like she should lower her gaze or bow her head. But she couldn't. His eyes had locked her in them, and she couldn't look away. He reached out and touched her cheekbone, traced it toward her ear, where he gently ran his fingers into her hair. She didn't want to, but still felt herself lean into his hand a bit, his touch was so soft and soothing.

"beautiful.." he murmured, and almost looked like he didn't quit believe his eyes.

"Wh… why am I here?" she asked, afraid to hear the answer. He tilted his head a bit,

"I already told you… You belong to me, and I to you, I think… I do not care much for humans; they are mere extras in this world of ours… You however, are the only exception to me!" He told her.

"But, why me?" she didn't understand. It seemed to her that he randomly picked her out of the group, and what in the world made her so special? Compared to Lisa for instance, she was merely another blond girl, whereas Lisa was gorgeous with her long dark hair and golden brown eyes.

He looked at her for I while, didn't say anything. Then he took her hand and kissed it,

"Because I can feel it… you are perfect to my eyes… and you seem to fill the empty place in my soul that has been there since I died." He explained.

"You died?" she asked. She couldn't help being a little intrigued, even though it still scared her. He smiled, genuinely and almost warmly, amused that she showed interest.

"Yes, I died. It happened long ago, when my mother thought me and my sister the perfect age. I will tell you the story of my life, but first…" he said, and at the same moment someone knocked on the door,

"you will eat!"

He rose and got the food from the servant, and then brought it to her in the bed. There were pancakes and jam, tea and juice. It looked good, and she felt her stomach growling.

He watched her eat for a little while, and then he moved to sit next to her in the bed, resting against the big pillows and headboard.

"Do you remember my name?" he asked her. She nodded; she remembered everything he had said to her.

"And you named me… "She said quietly. He smiled,

"Yes I did! And now, I will tell you how I got my name! I was not named Zephran, not at first. My name was Alexej, and I was born to be count of Cestmir castle, it means fortress. This is not it…" he added, noticing her gaze take in the room. "But as I turned 14, my mother was afflicted with a terrible illness, we thought she would die. But now of course I understand it was because he had turned her. She didn't die, but became the mistress of darkness. She, along with Marcus and Viktor, ruled our people. And as for me, and my sister, we were killed and woken as we turned 25. We are twins… When you become one of us, you have the right to choose your own name, and you may cast away the one you had. My mother those my new name… My sisters' also… And we have been by our mother's side since. Until she was killed, not very long ago."

"I'm sorry…" she said, flicking an unsecure look at him not knowing if it was the right thing to say.

"Do not be sorry, she lived her life as she wished, her dying was the product of the world she and her two co-rulers created. And now we have inherited this world from them, with all its trouble!" he said. He sighed and shook his head.

"Are they all dead?" she asked.

"Yes, all within a very short time!" He smiled at her again, "Let us not talk about those horrors. I will hear about your life… Were you happy?" he asked. She took a deep breath, and had to think about it.

"I think so… but not entirely…" she answered, and looked at her hands. It seemed like just minutes ago she had felt Christians' fingers entwine with hers. The thought of him dead stung in her chest like an icepick. She had waited so long for him to notice her, and now, she would never be with him. He had made her stomach fill with butterflies when he looked at her, even though she knew what he wanted from her. He was one of those guys, the one that all the girls wanted, and that got what he wanted from them! But she had been ready for it, or she thought so at least.

"Why?" he simply asked. She didn't say anything, how could she sit here telling him anything about herself? He didn't know her, didn't understand. Did he even care? He was the one who had wrecked it all. He understood her silent response, and took her hand again. He locked her eyes in his again, looking at her with those captivating dark pools of mystery. He turned her hand and kissed her right where the palm becomes the forearm. He kept kissing her, up the arm, very slowly. It was almost as if he couldn't stop. She felt her heart begin to race, and even though she tried to hide it, her breath became faster. He woke something in her, and she knew exactly what it was. But why did she feel that, when she knew what he was? It was wrong! She pulled her hand back, and tried to catch her breath.

He looked at her as if she had woken him from a trance.

"Do not be scared, I will never harm you." He said, and then he stood up taking the tray with him.

"I must go for now, I will return soon." And then he left. Left her sitting there, short of breath and confused.


	5. Chapter 5

He returned to the throne room, where he found Vassilij sitting by the big table, looking gloomy as always.

"My king!" he said, with a harsh voice. Zephran gave him a single nod, and sat down at the table. Not at the end, but across from Vassilij as a show of good gesture. He respected the leader of the death dealers; he was a man of great power and ability. The gesture did not go unnoticed and Vassilij bowed his head slightly.

"It is no secret why I have called you." Zephran said, and reached for the map of the area. He put it in front of them, and leaned back. Vassilij nodded,

"Yes, I know why… we will have to address the problem right away, or move!" he said.

"And how would you address it then? I trust your council…" Zephran answered. Vassilij nodded again,

"I believe the right way to deal with this, is to draw them out into the public, have the humans hunt them for us. We can assist when necessary." He said. Zephran crossed his arms and eyed the scary warrior. This was a risky plan, considering it might expose their own race as well.

"Do you have men in place of power that could execute such a scheme?" he then asked. Vassilij nodded,

"The minister of justice is a familiar, and he was born in a nearby village. I would visit him right away, if you ask it of me…" he said. Zephran took a deep breath.

"I will consult the elders and Ethaya first; we will have to consider every side to this before we act."

"There is much to consider, but it must be quickly! I sent out a team yesterday to survey the area here," he pointed to an area on the map due north, "they came back shaken and battered. They told me that the wolfs had taken all of this as a sign, that their time to rule had come. They believe that they are stronger than us now, as we lack our leaders! I would like to prove them wrong…" he growled.

"And you will… But now let us have a meeting with the rest of the council, and we will decide how to act. In the meantime, send out teams again; have them give us very detailed rapports on the situation, so we can plan everything with more surety." Zephran said, and Vassilij bowed his head and left the room again.

He knew he didn't really have to consult anyone, but he still felt a little doubtful of his own role. The king of the dead, they called him so, but he wasn't really! Only the ones that had been very loyal to the old regime, believed that he was now king. Others, in other parts of the world, had their own leaders who they believed to be the rightful ones. So really, he was no king, just the appointed leader of those around him. He drummed his fingertips on the armrest of his big chair at the end of the table, and watched as the room slowly filled with the most prominent of their people. Ethaya entered the room, dressed in a silky dark red gown, making everybody turn their heads and stare in awe. She sure looked regal, that much was sure. She walked up to his side, and rested her hand upon the back of the chair behind his head.

As the last ones arrived and sat down at the table, she took her place to his right, and gave the entire table a glare that made them all fall silent.

"Welcome. At this time, we must decide how to deal with the wolfs in our area. Our skilled leader of the death dealers Vassilij, have informed me of a possible plan! The minister of justice is a familiar of ours, and we consider having him out the wolfs, and thereby have the humans assist in the hunt. There are many sides to this to consider, and therefore I have called you here." Zephran told them, and then waited to hear their comments.

At first no one said anything, but after a little while of contemplating the idea, one of the more respected elders, Radkaya, spoke.

"This will surely reveal us as well sire! How will we fare then? When all the humans turn on us after?" she asked, and some of the others murmured in agreement.

"Are you afraid that the humans will take us out as well?" Ethaya said in a mocking tone, "We used to rule them and they paid homage to us, and we protected them when need be. Now we have become myth, instead of rulers."

"Would you simply expose everything then? And hope that they accept us to lead them again? I do not believe the humans to be so compliant anymore." Another of the elders said. He had been around almost as long as their mother, and he was very respected.

"They are probably not, no, but then they will be made to understand!" Ethaya said.

The man scoffed, and started to complain about the time they had spent building up the concealment, was it all for nothing, and Ethaya argued back. The discussion went on for a while, and everybody got involved. Zephran put his hand on top of hers, silently telling her to back down.

"It is not supposed to come to that! The plan is that we will remain concealed from them, while the wolfs will be hunted down." He said.

"But how will they not hear about us then? The leaders of the wolfs will return the favor!" Radkaya said. Many nodded.

"Perhaps we can do it so that no one knows we have set it in motion?" another of the elders said.

"How so?" Zephran asked

"We could simply leak the information of their gene mutation to the health department, and then push the knowledge into the laps of the justice minister as well. They are surely dangerous, and the humans could find out all by themselves… nowadays." He explained.

"They could…" Ethaya said, mostly to herself.

"we must make sure they cannot trace it to us!" Radkaya exclaimed, and looked at Zephran seriously. He nodded,

"Yes, and if we decide to involve the humans, we will make sure to do so. But are we absolutely sure we cannot handle them ourselves? Are your domains completely lost to you now?" he asked and looked around at them all. They all looked away, not wanting to meet his gaze. They were ashamed.

"We have battled for long sire, but they are multiplying faster than we can keep up!" Radkaya confessed.

Zephran nodded at her once, he liked honesty.

Then they spend the next several hours discussing every little detail, and assessing the risks in the different outcomes of the situation.

"I will set this in motion then! Make sure to have your backs covered by your familiars in high places when this blows up, which it will! But we do need the assistance I believe, so prepare yourselves!" he told them, and stood up, thereby ending the meeting.

They all left in absolute confidence, and resolved to make it work. Accept Ethaya who stayed in her seat, looking at him with an assessing expression.

"You know… I think they like you better than mother!" she said. Zephran shook his head,

"No, they just like change… it gives them new goals and opportunities!"

"But still… you radiate leader, it appeals to them…" she argued.

"As do you sister!" he said, and smiled slightly. Ethaya laughed ironically,

"No… they are simply just scared of me! But that works for me… You are the kingly type, and I am the scary sister that only you can control."

They both laughed, a bit amused of the way their lives had turned out now, and a bit worried.


	6. Chapter 6

When he returned to his bedroom, she was awake. She watched him intently as he came towards the bed again. She felt much more alert now, and her toes had started to get their movement back. They had obviously given her some kind of super medicine, to heal her faster. Her cheekbone didn't hurt anymore either, and it was only a bit sore if she pressed her fingers against it.

She had spent the time studying every little part of the room that she could see from the bed, and she was starting to form an impression of who he was. He liked the old stuff! He had some swords hanging on the wall, polished and shined up, and every little trinket in the room was just as shiny. It all seemed gloomy and old, but still everything was extremely clean! He was definitely someone who liked order in things, and someone who didn't leave anything unchecked.

He had stopped at the bed again, standing there looking at her. She still didn't know what he wanted from her, and she felt awkward just sitting there staring back.

"You feel better." He said, it was not a question, but she still nodded.

He walked around to the side of the big bed, and very slowly sat down. Just like last time she thought, he was making a big effort not to startle her in any way. Didn't he know that even his presence did that?

"I would like to pick up where we left of some hours ago…" the smiled a bit, and picked up her arm, and kissed her hand. She felt her heart jump, and stiffened nervously. A weird mixture of excitement and anxiety filled her. She pulled her hand back, and stared at him with a wild gaze. He looked at her, mystified,

"Is something wrong my goddess?" he asked. There it was again, he had called her goddess before. She didn't understand that, why would he call her that?

"I am not a goddess…" she said, still staring wildly at him, confused about her feelings.

"You are to me… you are everything that is perfection! So therefore you must be divine!" he answered, and his eyes blazed with desire. Her stomach turned in both fear and embarrassment. What would he do to her? The way he looked at her, with such a hunger! Would he have his way with her, and then eat her?

He smiled a little, and moved closer to her. He then ran his fingers through her hair, like he did before, and let his hand rest at the back of her head.

"I told you, you do not have to fear me!" he said, still smiling. Then he leaned in, and kissed her.

She felt like her entire body was about to explode. She had never been kissed like that! He tasted of passion and desire, and his lips were so soft. Somewhere in her mind, something was trying to tell her not to give in to him, but she had no choice. Everything she could focus on was his lips move against hers, and she barely noticed that he slowly pushed her down onto her back. She let out a sigh as she felt the weight of his body lowering itself onto hers, and every inch of her touching him felt like it was on fire. His left hand slowly ran down her neck, collarbone, and grazed the side of her breast. She had forgotten everything, everything that he was, had done, all of it. All that was in her mind was the sensation of him, his hand, and his lips. He placed his hand in the matrass next to her and lifted his head and looked at her. A look of great disappointment and anger filled his face, and she returned the look with shock.

Then somebody knocked on the door, and he was up, within seconds at the door. She took a deep breath, completely beside herself, and got up on her elbows. He was talking to someone just outside the door, and shortly after he came back to stand at the bed.

"I apologize, but I must go… but I will return to you when I can..." he said, and leaned in and kissed her on the hand.

She was left behind completely bewildered, sitting there in the bed, staring after him. What had just happened? The second he had kissed her, all her sense had left her, and she had just given in. She felt choked and a bit surprised in herself. How could she just forget what he had done to her friends? And to Christian? She felt a sting of guilt as the thought of him hit her. She was just giving in to the one that had killed Christian, how could she? She felt the tears on her cheeks before she realized that she was crying, and she hid her face in her hands.

He marched into the throne room, annoyed. What could possibly be so important that they had to come get him, while he was in his private chambers? That was generally the rule! Nobody were to disturb him, or his sister, or anyone ells for that matter, when they had retired to their private rooms.

In the middle of the room, a young woman was kneeling. She had fiery red hair, and she was dressed in a green silk dress. She was lovely. As soon as she saw him, she got up and started toward him. Her eyes were wild, and he could sense the panic even before she spoke.

"My lord, please forgive me, I had to see you!" she grabbed his hand, and sunk to her knees again. Her accent was distinctly British, maybe Irish.

"What? What is it that you want?" he asked, still fairly irritated, but now also concerned.

"We have all been chased away from our homes! The human police, they know! They are exterminating us, systematically. They came for us in the safe houses, and they had UV-light bullets."

Zephran looked at her, disbelieving his own ears. Had the wolfs beaten them to it? And if they were hitting the British families, how long before it would spread to their own home?

"Reconvene the council!" He spoke clearly and loud, knowing he would have to act on this instantly.


	7. Chapter 7

After her tears stopped coming, she decided to try to move around a little. She carefully lifted her foot of the pillows, testing to see how much it would hurt. It didn't! She moved her toes a bit, still okay. So she swung her legs out over the side of the bed, and tried to stand on her good food, putting the bad one down slowly.

She definitely couldn't stand on it, but she could stay upright just fine. She took another look around the room, and decided to make for a big armchair a couple of feet away. She humped over to the chair, and sat down on the armrest. It felt good to be more mobile. There was a feint knock on the door, and she jumped to her feet, and regretted it at once. Through the door came a tall girl with brown hair and darkish skin. Although she was pretty pale, you could sense that her skin was olive. She walked over and sat down in a chair across, and smiled.

"Hello… I'm julienne, Lord Zephran asked me to entertain you, as he doesn't know when he's coming back. So, your name isn't really Avelina right?" She said, and looked at her with a sincere expression.

"No… my name is actually Freya, but I don't think he cares…" she answered. Julienne shook her head a bit,

"He cares; he just likes using our old language, and likes the names that have meaning! Where are you from?" she asked.

"Virginia, but my family is really from Iceland…" Freya answered. Julienne seemed nice enough, so she slowly sat back down on the armrest.

"oh, that's nice… I like old countries! Do you know where we are now?" she asked. Freya shook her head, kind of relieved that she might get some answers.

"You are a guest of the royal family of castle Scetinkov, on the point of the borders of Poland, Romania and Slovakia." She informed. Freya took a deep breath; she was very far from home!

"Are you comfortable enough? You need more pain killers?" Julienne asked her. Freya shook her head once more, and folded her arms around herself. She was still wearing the same clothes she was when he had taken her, just a tank top and panties. It felt a bit revealing, but she was not cold. Julienne eyed her, and nodded once.

"I will make sure that you can have a bath, a hairdresser and some nice clothes befitted for the guest of the Lord. Any designers you prefer?"

"No… just some more clothes would be nice…" Freya answered. Julienne smiled,

"When you are the guest here, you will be treated nicely. You can ask for whatever you want." She told her.

"And how long will I be the guest, you think?" Freya asked in a small voice.

"well, that all depends on how long Lord Zephran decides to keep you…" julienne said, as if it was the most natural thing in the world.

"And when he doesn't want me around anymore?" she asked, afraid to hear the answer.

"Then you will either be turned, and be enclosed in our coven, or you will become his... ahm… appetizer." Julienne smiled, as if the thought was funny.

Freya took a deep breath, and had to grab the seat to keep calm. She knew he was dangerous, and she knew what Julienne was going to say, but she just had to ask.

"Don't worry; you are way to pretty to discard, so you will probably be turned." Julienne said, completely uninterested in the subject.

"Am I eh… Does he bring home girls like me often?" Freya asked.

"Yes… But he insists you are nothing like the others though…" Julienne said, "And what he says, is simply the way it is. We do not ask questions!" She was closing of the subject, looking a bit annoyed.

They didn't talk for a little while, Julienne just sat there, looking at her. Freya had never felt so self-conscious, her every tiny move was seen and registered. So she didn't know what to do!

"Well… what do you want to do then?" Julienne then asked, and took out a phone.

"What choices do I have?" Freya answered with a hopeless voice.

"Anything really, as long as we stay in the castle." Julienne dialed a number and smiled. "Joy? I need you to prepare a warm bath, a mani-pedi, definitely a hairdressing session and find me a nice selection of designer dresses. What? No, for Lord Zephrans guest… She's blond, blue eyes! ... All right!" She hang up the phone again, "I'll see you pampered a bit in fifteen minutes… until then, let's get you moving again!"

She stood up, and came towards Freya. She made her rise to her feet, and helped her steady herself. Then she proceeded to walk Freya back and forward in the room, making her rest lightly on her bad foot. It hurt, but after I while it seemed her foot became more movable, and the pain became more like a dull throbbing.

After doing that, Julienne led her to a door, and took her to a huge bathroom. A bathtub was lowered into the floor, and the water was so hot that steam arose from it.

A strange woman, who introduced herself as Joy, was there waiting. They both helped Freya undress, and guided her into the water. Freya had never had a bath like this! Julienne and Joy got in the water with her, and they washed her hair, and scrubbed her body from head to toe. It felt very intimate, and both of them kept eying each other, and looking at Freya with hungry gazes. She was not exactly comfortable with the situation, and it didn't help that they were all naked. Julienne poured water through her hair again, standing behind her, and held up her hand to guide the water away from her face. She let her hand run down Freya's back, and then around her waist. Freya felt Juliennes body right up against her own, and she was obviously not letting go. Joy then approached her from the front, trailing her fingers along her collarbone, and then down the middle of her chest.

"You sure are beautiful… I can see why Zephran wants you!" She said in a low voice, "How was he with you?" she asked, and had her finger tips trail the edge of Freya's breast. Freya looked at her, scared and confused. She was being touched by two women all at once, and she felt violated by the way they looked at her.

"Please…" she said, and tried to pull away, but julienne was not letting go yet.

"Tell us! Was he tender and passionate… or harsh… fiery…" She let her hand glide down towards Freya's sex, and rubbed her gently. Freya had had enough! She didn't want this, it made her feel frightened and repulsed. She pulled away again, this time with more luck.

"He didn't… we didn't…!" she said, and stepping a few feet back, covering herself with her hands. Joy and Julienne looked at her, clearly disappointed!

"Hm… I suppose he does feel different about you if he hasn't had you yet… Are you sure you don't want to continue?" Julienne said, and smiled lustfully. Joy nodded, and reached for her hand, trying to pull her closer. But Freya shook her head violently, and pulled her hand away.

"Very well… then come on…" Joy said sourly, and exited the bath. She found towels for all of them, and they coaxed Freya out of the bath, promising not to do anything until she wanted them to. They both seemed sure she would want to at some point, Freya were sure she wouldn't!

They did her feet, her hands, and her hair. Then they clothed her in an expensive looking silky dress in a golden champagne color, and gave her a light makeup that accentuated her eyes.

Then they let her back into Zephrans room, and left her alone.

Freya sat down on the bed, exhausted by all the impressions and situations of the last hours. She hadn't been intimate with anyone like that before, nobody had touched her in that way. She hadn't thought that the first time would be by women! She was ashamed to admit to herself, that Juliennes touch had awoken something in her, the same sort of heat that Zephrans kisses had. Desire. What did it mean that she had felt it in the bath too? She lay back on the bed, ashamed, confused, so tired, and fell asleep.


	8. Chapter 8

Zephrans second meeting with the counsel hadn't gone as well as the first! He was pacing back and forth in the throne room, angry and frustrated. Ethaya was watching him from her chair, all the councilmembers had left.

"Just give the order and be done with it Zephran!" She threw at him. He looked at her, his eyes dark as night.

"I will not! It will start a war!" he said, and went back to pacing.

"So? War is already started; let's not wait till we get attacked before we make our move! Let us take them out now, while we have the advantage!" She argued, repeating what she had said during the meeting. Half the counsel was with her, the other half hesitant. She wanted them to simply destroy the wolfs, and the humans they had to, to make sure that they were safe in their part of the world. Zephran seemed opposed to the thought of killing so many, even though they were beasts, and just humans. She figured it was the king-thing that had gotten to him. Normally he would never concern himself with such trivialities, but now that he was in charge, he felt responsible. So now he had to think everything through before acting. She sighed,

"Then what?" she said. Zephran shook his head,

"I do not know… we cannot do nothing, we must act on this threat. No matter what, we will begin by hunting those wolfs! I will think long and hard about what the next actions shall be!" he said, and motioned for her to leave, "Give the order, have Vassilij lead it…"

She got up from the chair, and walk over to face him,

"I really believe this is the time we have waited for, when we will take back our right as rulers of men… All you have to do is to reach out and take this opportunity!" Then she left.

Zephran took a deep breath, and exhaled slowly. She might be right. This could be the time to take back power, but then, how was he to go about it? And how far would he extend his reign?

When she woke, she felt a little better. However, she was awakened by screaming coming from somewhere in the rooms nearby. They were not screams like she had heard it before; they were icy cold and sounded like someone was in terrible pain. She got up, and walked carefully to the door. She was not sure she should leave the room without permission, but she felt compelled to help whoever it was. She opened the door a bit, and stuck out her head. Nobody was in the corridor, so she stepped out.

She followed the sounds to another room further down, and held her ear against the door. Should she go in? No, definitely not! But she felt like she had to. There was more than one person in there! Both men and women, and it truly sounded like they were dying or something.

She slowly opened the door, and peaked into the room. It was very dark, and she couldn't see much at first. When her eyes got used to it, she saw who was screaming. Three beds were in the room against the opposite wall, and on each of them someone was lying. The seemed to be restrained to the beds, and they were all tossing and fighting to get up. They looked like they were in horrible pain!

She stepped a little closer, and she realized that she recognized them! Her friends! Lisa, Hayden and, and, Christian! She felt like running to them, but something inside her stopped her. Something was wrong. It didn't feel right, they didn't feel right. Lisa's head snapped up, and the smelled the air intensely.

"Oh Freya, come to me…!" she begged, "Come free me… please!" Freya wanted to go closer, but she felt frightened! The two others seemed to notice her too by sniffing the air, and their thrashing became even wilder.

"Freya come here!" Lisa commanded, and when she didn't comply, Lisa also started pulling harder on her restrains. They were all fighting and screaming at her, like they were desperate for her to come closer.

"You little whore, I will kill you!" Lisa screamed at her, and Freya backed out of the door.

She bumped into Zephran who was just outside. He looked at her with a serious glare, and shut the door to her screaming friends.

"Do not wander! It is not safe for you, come…" he said, and led her back to his rooms. He shut the door close behind him, and turned to her. She was expecting a scolding, and possibly violence, but instead he looked at her with a breathless expression. He didn't talk, just crossed the space between them in two long strides and caught her waist. He kissed her passionately, and lifted her off her feet.

"How do you do this to me?" he asked, while sweeping her to the bed and putting her down gently. She didn't have time to answer before his lips caught hers again. He lay on the bed next to her, and he was so intense that she felt her will slipping away again. His body was hard and strong against hers, and his hands were everywhere at once. All she wanted was for him to keep going, to keep touching her, kissing her. But she forced herself to turn away her head,

"No please…" she said breathlessly. Zephran raised his head to look at her, slightly confused.

"I can't… you… it is wrong…" she said, and tried to crawl away a bit. Zephran smiled a little,

"Do not worry, I will not hurt you, you are too precious to me." He wanted to kiss her again, but she fought him of.

"What are you exactly?" she asked bluntly, though she knew the answer. For some reason she just wanted to hear it out loud! Zephran sighed and sat up in the bed, resting against the headboard, clearly resigned to letting her have her way for now.

"You know already, you are no fool princess… Undead, vampire, strigoi… call it whatever you want!"

"And you kill people" she said, not a question. He nodded.

"What did you do to my friends?"

"They have been bitten. We liked the looks of them; they will join us when they are ready." He said.

"Why are they screaming?"

He looked down at her with a puzzled look, she was feeling stronger! He could sense how her will was returning, and it pleased him, but also concerned him. It made it that much harder for him getting her to feel secure enough. Not to mention her growing will to resist his desire for her. He decided to simply tell her all she wanted to know, and then try and comfort her afterwards.

"When you make the change, the first few days your hunger will be uncontrollable! They will hunt anything within miles with a pulse. We can't have that… So we make sure they get through those days without causing mayhem… But it is very painful to them. When they learn to control themselves, we will let them out, and they will start learning the ways of our lives. You gave them an extra day of pain just now… The smell of you was a setback… unfortunately…" he said.

She gulped, and felt horrible. She was now the cause of them being in more pain than they had to. But then she remembered Lisa's last comment at her, they were not themselves anymore. Neither was he then! She swallowed hard to hold back her tears. Christian was not dead, but he was not himself anymore. Did he even remember her feelings for him, and that he had wanted her to?

Zephran studied her expressions, watching her take it in. She seemed to take it well, although obviously sad about her friends. But she would get over them, he thought. Time would do that, and he would help.

"Do you wish to ask me more questions?" he asked her. She looked up at him, meeting his eyes. She looked so sad that it hurt him.

"If I can help it, I will never hurt you again goddess!" he said, gently stroking her cheek. He reached out for her, and pulled her in tightly to him, first she tensed up, but after a little while she relaxed and leaned into his chest.

He ran his fingers through her hair, comforting her.

She didn't want to feel so calm with him; she should be fighting to get away. But for some reason she felt safe, relaxed. She wanted to sit there forever, and feel his arms around her. Even, maybe kiss him again. She felt terrible for wanting him, she shouldn't, but she did. He was so gorgeous, strong build and she had a strange feeling that some part of him was good. He might be a killer, but when he looked into her eyes, she believed that he didn't want to hurt anyone. He had just had to.

She felt him move slightly, and he lifted her head up towards him with his hand. He locked her eyes into his and she felt her self-control slip away. His dark eyes sparkled, and his passion for her was almost tangible in the air around her.

He bent down and kissed her once more, and her senses worked over time to take it all in. His taste, his smell, the way he let his hand rest on her hip. She kisses him back, with so much force it took him by surprise. But quickly bounced back from it, and responded to her. She felt his hands grip her a bit harder, and he pushed her down on her back. His hands ran down her body, caressing her all over. She caught her breath as he moved down and kissed her throat. He continued, and kissed her breast, stopping at her nipple, teasing it through the thin silk of the dress. She had to moan, she couldn't keep it in. He looked down at her and smiled, before he kissed her mouth again. She absolutely loved this feeling! His lips were so soft, yet so urgent. His chest hard and well-shaped against her and his strong arms felt so secure.

He ran his hand up her leg, sliding it up under her dress. His fingers felt their way up her inner thigh, and let them graze her. She sighed surprised. It felt like her entire body was on fire, and it was all radiating from where his fingers were touching her. He rubbed a little harder, and she felt herself moving against his hand slightly, picking up the rhythm of it. She wanted it so badly.

He moved her panties to the side, and let his fingers touch her bare skin. She was so warm, so welcoming. She was ready for him, but he wanted to push her even more before pleasing himself. He enjoyed her pleasure almost more than his own. It was all about her, his golden goddess. She moaned again, and he slid his fingers inside.

"oh, yes... Please..." she pleaded with him, and he picked up the rhythm again. First slowly, then faster and faster. He freed his other hand from underneath her, and started to loosen his own pants, his lust for her was almost overwhelming.

As if she woke up from a trance, she registered what he was doing, and put a hand on his arm.

"I'm not sure…" she said, out of breath.

He looked down on her, surprised. She couldn't be? Was she?

"My princess, are you a virgin?" he asked her without thinking. She was so beautiful, how could no one have bedded her before?

"Yes…" she answered, clearly embarrassed.

"Oh… I see…" he said, "Then I shall not compromise your innocence… yet… but maybe…" He smiled reassuringly, and kissed her for a short while. Then he moved his kisses down the length of her body, and ducked his head in under her dress. She let out a surprised oh as his lips touched her, kissing her at the very most intimate part of her. His fingers and his tongue played with her until he felt her back arch and she reached her climax.

He crawled back up and lay down beside her, she was panting, staring at the ceiling. He smiled, satisfied with himself. Even though he still felt his own body yearn for release, he was pleased that he had the ability to make her reach such heights.

She looked up at him and smiled blissfully and surprised. That, she had never tried before! Even though she had been fooling around with a couple of boys before, none of them had ever made her feel like that!


	9. Chapter 9

He left her sleeping in the big bed, dressed in that appetizing silky dress. Like this, she truly looked like a goddess. Her golden hair was spread out over the pillow above her head, and she had the most beautiful smile playing on her lips, even in her sleep. She had obviously had some pampering by Julienne, she looked so clean and glowing.

He wondered once more how she could still be innocent? How could the human men around her be immune to her beauty? Or maybe, she had dismissed them before they even had a chance at her? She did seem strong willed. Maybe she wanted to save herself for someone? She seemed to be very affected by the three friends of hers that he had saved. Did she used to be with one of them?

He walked down the hall, and entered the room where they were still tied down on beds. One of the men in the coven was giving them blood from bags, and they were drinking greedily. But they did seem more coherent than yesterday. He approached one of them slowly. They could sense their maker, and they all turned their heads to stare at him in awe. He stood at the end of the bed, and looked down on one of the males.

"what is your name?" he asked bluntly.

"Ha.. Hayden, my lord."

"Did you have relations with anyone right before I brought you here Hayden?" he continued. Hayden seemed confused for a moment, then shook his head.

Zephran moved quickly to the other male, and asked him his name, and then the same question.

"yes my lord, I eh… I was just about to hook up with one of the girls… I guess she's dead now?" Christian answered and didn't seem to care much.

"What was her name?" Zephran asked.

"Freya… real nice little blond virgin…" he said, and licked his lips at the thought.

Zephran clenched his fists, and glared down at the young man. Christian sensed his anger and cringed instinctively. But Zephran decided not to act on his anger at the moment, and left the room instead. He needed all his subjects operational the coming days.

He went back to the room, she was still sleeping. He inched himself on to the bed next to her, and leaned in over her. He gently touched her cheek with his fingertips, and watched her eyelids flutter open. She turned to look at him, and he could see the moment she realized where she was and who he was. She seemed to tense up, and she moved a little away from him.

"You sense that I am a danger to you… I am a predator of humans… but when you wish it, I will make you one of us, and you can join me in the coven." He said, and caressed her lower lip with his thumb.

She caught her breath, and he heard her pulse rise. He liked that he had this effect on her.

"What if I don't wish to become one of you?" she asked, looking very nervous. He lowered his brow, giving her a serious stare.

"You would be in danger all the time, from everyone around you." He answered. He hadn't even considered her not wanting to join them, all humans he knew wanted to.

"couldn't I just go home instead?" she asked, the look of sadness in her eyes almost made him feel that regretting feeling again.

"Well my princess… No… Now that you know about us, you have only two options. You can either join us, or…" he answered, still confused as to why she would want to leave? Didn't she feel their connection?

"But… what about my family?" she asked him, and tears filled her eyes. This, he could understand at least. His sister was very important to him.

"You may visit them, in the future… When the time is right… When I decide that you are ready."

The tears rolled gently down her cheeks, and she sat up and curled her arms around her legs. She eyed him, and the sadness in her eyes was almost unbearable.


End file.
